Ms. Betterbody

Today's inducer of happiness is a word I have avoided for long periods of my life: exercise. I've definitely had a love-hate relationship with it.

As my old friend JD pointed out to me on Facebook today, I had quite an infatuation with aerobics in grad school. My friend Kay and I would go to a dimly lit gym and leap and squat for hours listening to the best of the 80s. I still think of leg lifts when I hear "When Doves Cry," by Prince. We were going 5 days a week at one point, and I got down to 110 pounds. I am short, but not small boned, so that was one thin girl.

But, I spent most of my life 15-20 pounds more than that, and was fine. After a brief foray into jogging that made my poor ex-husband think I was "athletic" I didn't do anything until after the first child. I went to a gym, rode my bike, etc. It was very frustrating, but I got back to my normal weight, only to really, really pork out with the second pregnancy thanks to eating the Bradley Method's diet. Whoa. A lot of food. I hit my largest for a few years after Beccano was born.

Suna at Her Weightiest

Lordy. It was really hard to exercise, because I got no sleep for nearly three years. But, eventually I took up riding a road bike, because that was my husband's hobby, and I hoped it would be a bonding thing. Cycling and a lot of Jazzercise, combined with an infected thyroid dropped 60 pounds. People began to say I looked "too thin." Here's a photo from a bit after that time:

Thin, but Tired

I was dealing with the end of my marriage and such, so not terribly perky. But, wearing size 6 clothing! I tried that belt on last week...not so buckly any more.

What this leads me to is that since then, I haven't gone up and down quite so much, but keep having to reign myself in. I do love food, and I have portion control issues. I keep eating as much as the men in the family, forgetting they are bigger and have a faster metabolism than me. So, when it appeared that I was growing out of all my better clothes, and when I read all those healthy food books, I got serious about eating right and exercising again. Yep, my exciting "diet" is eating less (and healthier) food and exercising more. What a formula.

I am ten pounds less (at least--I actually didn't weigh until I had been eating better for a few weeks) than I was in January. I had been walking a lot when the weather was good, but realize that I can't walk once it gets hot (I faint when I overheat). So, I finally joined the gym in the beautiful "new" community center that has probably been there 4 years now (I can't find info on it). It is only a mile from the house and has really nice equipment, considering what you pay for it--quite a bargain compared to the fancy place where Tuba Boy used to work. I don't hate exercise, really, just resent the time it takes, and get tired of having to change clothing and shower so much. I will focus on the positive. I get to look at nice trees and not be overly hot while I walk or jog!

Today I actually treadmilled and did weight machines. I always feel silly, like I am faking people out. But, I was the youngest person there, so if the older folks can do it, I can, too. I know I need to do all that stuff for my health and all. I want happy bones and muscles! I am just glad I let Lee encourage me, and forced myself. Now I just have to keep it up.